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<h1>
    LEGI&Atilde;O URBANA
</h1>

<div class="quote">
    "Why people say we're "depressing"? If those people are depressed, it's not our fault!"<br />

    <img alt="Villa-Lobos, Russo, Rocha and Bonfa: the original line-up" src="urbana.png" />
</div>

<div class="members">
    Dado Villa-Lobos, Renato Russo, Renato Rocha and Marcelo Bonf&aacute;<br />

    <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/games/create.html">South Park Create-A-Character</a>
</div>

<p class="albumList">
  <a href="#urbana">Legi&atilde;o Urbana</a><br />      
  <a href="#dois">Dois</a><br />
  <a href="#este">Que Pa&iacute;s &eacute; Este 1978-1987</a><br />
  <a href="#estacoes">As Quatro Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es</a><br />
  <a href="#v">V</a><br />
  <a href="#brasil">O Descobrimento Do Brasil</a><br />
  <a href="#tempestade">A Tempestade</a><br />
  <a href="#estacao">Uma Outra Esta&ccedil;&atilde;o</a><br />
</p>
<p>
  <a href="#distante">Renato Russo: Equilibrio Distante</a><br />
</p>

<p>All the (two or three) people who used to visit this place in its infancy
might remember that very few artists were fully reviewed. And this band was
included here not due to any nationalist or similar feeling: this page was
created merely because I had the great opportunity of having the band's entire
catalogue in my posession. And back then, <em>any</em> fully reviewed band (yes,
even Creed) would have been a significant inclusion. Nowadays, with pages for
Faust, Nick Drake, The Cure, Kraftwerk, Sigur R&oacute;s, Os Mutantes and Bob
the Builder, the presence of this band in the website is <em>still</em>
significant. See, this is not a band that was highly successful abroad. In fact,
it wasn't even <em>lowly</em> successful abroad. Artists like Caetano Veloso,
Gilberto Gil, Ant&ocirc;nio Carlos Jobim and bands like the Mutantes represent
the country very well to the world. Legi&atilde;o Urbana doesn't. The truth is
that the band, in the 80's, were an absolutely devastating phenomenon, and
<em>even today</em> they can be easily considered so. Their albums still sell,
the band still attracts worshippers and haters from all ages, and archive albums
are still being released as we speak. But all that craze is limited to Brazil,
at least as far as I know. Yet, I review them simply because I find it fair that
I should talk about such an important band in <em>my</em> website, both for
historical importance and as a guide to anyone who becomes interested in their
music.</p>

<p>For starters, the band was highly derivative. Straight from their origins, an
embryo band that would later on split into several bands, they were drinking
heavily from the British Punk Rock sources. After the whole thing was
over and Legi&atilde;o Urbana came to be, they were drinking heavily from the
Post-Punk sources, also British. You know the drift: Smiths, Joy Division,
etc. Being a band like that in a British context, for example, could take you
absolutely nowhere. But being a band like that in Brazil, which was highly
isolated from everything going on outside in terms of art, could take you to
very good places. You see, nobody <em>listened</em> to the Smiths or to Joy
Division. So, if a Brazilian band could do music like them in a place where
their music virtually didn't exist, what's the problem? And that's pretty much
what the band did. Well, at least on their debut album.</p>

<p>And yes, anyone who watches Renato Russo performing live will see that he
pretty much immitates Morrisey and Ian Curtis in his motions and gestures. And
this went well until the band ended! But musicwise, the band slowly started to
take different paths, and instead of trying to make their own <strong>Unknown
Pleasures</strong>, Russo aimed at making "his own <strong>Pet Sounds</strong>".
That means: they were still being derivative, but tackling several different
sources at once, and adding a touch of originality to the brew, which definitely
made a difference.</p>

<p>But there is a crucial point, which I didn't mention. The band isn't
worshipped because of their music (at least not consciously). Quite simply, the
figure of Renato Russo is hailed as a prophet, maybe even as a teenagehood
Messiah. He was extremely charismatic, both as a person and as an artist, his
lyrics were <em>constantly</em> in touch with themes that the teenagers and only
the teenagers knew so well, and he dealt with these themes in such a way that
they are valid even today. Such an adoration for the man attracts much disgust
from more "elevated" spirits, who started an anti-hype movement against the
band. But that movement, noisy as it is, is still ridiculously small near the
urban legion the band created. And now, comes the question: is that good or is
that bad?</p>

<p>Russo's lyrics hold some kind of answer, actually. At one point in his
carreer, knowing of his fame, many things he wrote were mostly rubbish, created
in order to catch the listeners' attention and leave them confused. And it
worked: people love his lyrics without even knowing if they mean something. And
the band's live shows were littered with loads of nearly embarrassing stage
banter, followed by crazed applause and yells from the young audience. So, it was all
a clever plot; but even then, it didn't detract from Russo's witty mind, his
talent with words and intelligence. Whenever he wanted to write a hard-hitting
or touching or moving set of lyrics, he <em>did so</em>. The bad side of that
adoration for Russo as a lyricist is that it detracts a lot from the music,
which often holds dozens of precious gems. As musicians, the three (four, in the
three first records) were highly competent, and as composers, they were clever
and creative. I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the songs in their
catalogue that I could consider as pure filler. And as for the others... well,
suffice to say, I feel comfortable saying that Russo's songs and lyrics might
have <em>not caught</em> the people's minds if they weren't backed by such solid
hooks and memorable, hummable melodies. But then again, who knows well enough
about what is a hook or not? A set of words is more than enough. But the
melodies work on the back of people's minds, you know: they <em>are</em> playing
their role, but in a more subtle way. And that's how it works.</p>

<p>For someone who isn't following the words, the listening experience could be
more refreshing. Listening just to the music, the melodies and Russo's powerful,
agile voice, could be a path to understanding better why this band was such a
phenomenon. It works for <em>me</em>: I learned to either ignore or pay
half-attention to Russo's words when I'm listening to the music. I'm not saying
I dislike his lyrics, but with so much hype, it's difficult to follow the lyrics
without smiking or frowning. But the music is always the same, and it's the
music the reason why I like this band so much. And I say all those
transcendental spirits who find almost sexual pleasure in spewing words of
hatred against Russo or the band as a whole can fuck themselves. Hype sucks, and
anti-hype is also hype. Let's stop hyping and let's review some music.</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail your ideas</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="urbana">Legi&atilde;o Urbana (1984)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Por Enquanto</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Ser&aacute; <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>A Dan&ccedil;a <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Petr&oacute;leo do Futuro <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Ainda &eacute; Cedo</li>
  <li><span class="good">Perdidos No Espa&ccedil;o ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Gera&ccedil;&aacute;o Coca-Cola ++</span></li>
  <li>O Reggae <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Baader-Meinhof Blues <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Soldados ++</span></li>
  <li>Teorema</li>
  <li><span class="good">Por Enquanto ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Their post-punk album. Smiths crossed with Joy Division crossed with The Police crossed with The Cure crossed with... who knows. But this is neither suicide-rock a la Joy Division, nor jangle rock a la Smiths, nor British Punk a la Clash. It's kind of in between them, with good dosages of the band's own style in the mix. And it's good, I say. But it's not because of the style, or because of the originality. It's all about the songs, man! Those songs! Great songs! Even still, this album here presented only three surefire hits at the time (and one "retarded hit", which became something of their own 'Yesterday' in terms of quantity of cover versions). But there's a subtle difference between "surefire hits" and "good songs", and that is the difference I want to talk about here.</p>

<p>In terms of production, you might know what to expect. The drums are similar to what you hear in <strong>Unknown Pleasures</strong>: short and firm, with a long tail of reverb behind them. But here, it's a bit "warmer" and closer to the listener. Or maybe that's the impression it gives me. Marcelo Bonf&aacute; doesn't have a large repertory of fills and frills, but he keeps everything up well. Renato Rocha plays scratchy, deep bass notes, and Dado Villa-Lobos is busy strumming his electric guitar up and down, or plucking those pinging notes, or playing a primitive Punkish half-riff. The guitar tone <em>is</em> very jangle-ish, but Dado doesn't jangle too often. On top of all that, Russo sings like a devil, occasionally handling the acoustic guitar, occasionally playing some of those nostalgic 80's keyboards. And that's the basic recipe. Nothing new or revolutionary, but pretty darn good. These guys had a nifty sound on their hands, and it gives the album an unique feeling - at least unique as far as their catalogue goes. No other Legi&atilde;o Urbana record sounds quite like this. It's not gloomy or dark, but it's rather haunting at times, chilly at others. And the songs? Well, the songs!</p>

<p>There are two prime Punk songs here, one of them coming all the way back from their Punk embryo band. Interestingly, 'Gera&ccedil;&atilde;o Coca-Cola' (it means "Coca-Cola Generation", which is a DARN fine denomination, in my opinion) was the song that got the band their deal with EMI, but in its acoustic version. What you get here is electric Punk, though. And pretty good! The lyrics are delivered machine-gun style, but you can find a strategic hook on the chorus, aside from the irresistible "wooah wooah" intermezzo. The playing, in spite of the chilly production, is pretty invigorating. 'Ser&aacute;', on the other hand, isn't as traditionally Punk. The rhythm is fast, but the rest is different. The chord changes go all Pachelbel's Canon on us, but Russo's occasional vocal overdubs aren't at all trivial, and the lyrics are crafted to <em>sound</em> romantic without being exactly so. But the biggest deal is that catchy melody, and sing-along "woo-ooh" chants at the end of each chorus. Extra nice, in my opinion.</p>

<p>The rest of the album ranges from almost-punkish-but-not-quite fast and all sorts of slow. Among these faster songs, 'Petr&oacute;leo do Futuro' is my favourite, just because it's so catchy. 'Baader-Meinhof Blues', on the other hand, retrieves more of that haunting, chilly feeling. 'Teorema' is catchy and not bad at all, but at this point in the album, it's a tad too simplistic. As for the others, there's only one actual <em>ballad</em> in the album, and it's right at the end. 'Por Enquanto' has been covered about hundreds of times in hundreds of different "acoustic" arrangements, but bizarrely enough, I will always prefer this original version, covered in electronic drums, electronic bass and haunting buzzy synthesizers. It's not at all a "new" sound, and anyone who listened to early Cure will know more or less where they got their cues from - but THIS arrangement gives the song a feeling of distance, or nostalgia which is exactly what the song needs. The melody is nothing short of beautiful, also. Duh, it's exactly <em>that</em> which makes the song worth listening to. Other favourites include the poppy, quirky 'Perdidos no Espa&ccedil;o', short and catchy as it should be, and 'Soldados', a lengthy, plodding "martial" song. I don't know really if there's anything outstanding about it, but I think it's all about how those simple elements fit each other so well - that's the style of the album. At times, the song is creepy with its emptiness of instruments, at others Russo tinkles a memorable piano line, at others the band comes together and gets out of the plodding martial rhythm. It's the "darkest" song in the album, easily.</p>

<p>Interestingly, one of the biggest radio hits in the album, 'Ainda &eacute; Cedo', never gripped me very much. You've got the same three chords cycling through the entire song; the static, dull bass line; and the "romantic" lyrics sung over a not so catchy melody. The best that I can enjoy from this song is the occasional, sparse echoey The Edge-style guitar and keyboard work, but it isn't worth treasuring the entire song for. It's great tune, but not too interesting considering the rest of the material. 'A Dan&ccedil;a', on the other hand, is one of the strangest here. The song itself apparently has nothing weird about it, but it was given an early-80's "dance" arrangement, that instead of making it more energetic, just makes it even creepier. Finally, 'O Reggae' is... well, a reggae, sucked straight from The Police. As a "reggae song", it doesn't really qualify, but as a dorky Legi&atilde;o Urbana stab at new wave reggae, it's not bad. And you see, they're not trying to make a "reggae-influenced" rock song; it reminds me more of Men At Work than of The Police, in terms of mood. And you know I like Men At Work, and in fact, I prefer 'Catch a Star' and 'Down Under', myself.</p>

<p>But the better songs are more than good enough. And while I wouldn't recommend this album for starters, it's one of the Legi&atilde;o Urbana records I like the most. It's shabby, yes, but that's part of its charm. That's what makes it, erm... "fun" to listen to. Yet, this was only the beginning. It would get better.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Well, I surprisingly like it a bunch.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>13/15</strong></big> - They get their sound going very well. It works just the way it should.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>11/15</strong></big> - They <em>were</em> derivative, no doubt about that. But they work it out.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Surprisingly good tunes. Very well written stuff, even though it isn't memorable all the way.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Oh, sure. It ain't rock solid, but it's entirely enjoyable.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/12.png" alt="12" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Suggestions? "Who the hell are these guys?" remarks? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send 'em to me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="dois">Dois (1986)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Andrea Doria</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Daniel na Cova dos Le&otilde;es <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Quase Sem Querer <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Acrilic on Canvas</li>
  <li>Eduardo e M&ocirc;nica <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Central do Brasil <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Tempo Perdido ++</span></li>
  <li>Metr&oacute;pole</li>
  <li>Plantas em Baixo do Aqu&aacute;rio</li>
  <li>M&uacute;sica Urbana 2</li>
  <li><span class="good">Andrea Doria ++</span></li>
  <li>F&aacute;brica <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>"&Iacute;ndios" <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>And they kicked back, and they showed they weren't kidding at all. This album is their best selling ever, and not only because it was released when there was much "prosperity" in the country and people were willing to spend their money, but also because it's littered with surefire hits - and also surefire secondary hits. And yes, unlike before, we are talking about lots of famous songs; famous in different levels. But then, I wonder: what <em>exactly</em> are the components that made so many hits?</p>

<p>You see, I'm not willing to believe the album as a whole is much, much superior to its predecessor (in fact, I like <strong>Dois</strong> a little less than the debut). The production improved considerably: sparkier, brighter, with more acoustic guitars and strummed electric guitar, and less "dark". And they <em>are</em> achieving some kind of maturity here. The songs are less straightforward, and there are a few cool, unusual arrangements in some of these songs, as well as extended instrumental passages and outros. But, you see, Russo was getting really in touch with his audience. While the debut was more politic and, um, "high-brow", this one seems to speak the language of the teenagers of that time. Reportedly, Russo used to tape conversations between him and his friends, so he could use them as "laboratory" for writing his lyrics. And even the music has acquired a certain youthful, energetic quality. It definitely worked for them. They knew what they were doing.</p>

<p>But then again, that's lyrics. And I'm not trying to say the band didn't evolve in the music department. They did. But the music itself isn't the direct reason for the album's success. It's like I said before: the pretty melodies and hooks are <em>there</em>, and if it wasn't for them, I don't think these songs would be so well reminded. And it's one thing when a raving fan raves all over these songs with raving words of rave, talking about lyrics and such; and it's another thing altogether when a person like me listens to the <em>music</em>. And that approaches works wonders here. It makes the songs much more treasurable and rewarding than they seem to be. Take, for example, the hit 'Quase Sem Querer'. It's possibly the tenderest, friendliest song here, with Russo toning down his voice to almost a hush for most of the time. Yes, it has a very pleasant and friendly message being delivered, but I can just focus on the way Russo knits and weaves his melodies around the lyrics, and the pretty, tranquil sound they make with those guitars over the speedy rhythm. It's kind of a classic Legi&atilde;o Urbana half-ballad, one of the "minor-hits" here. But I don't care about the hit status. If I did, I wouldn't enjoy the band as much.</p>

<p>Even better than that are other minor hits like 'Daniel na Cova dos Le&otilde;es', one of the most interesting songs here in terms of melody and arrangement. It shows that Renato Rocha was probably responsible for many of these interesting arrangements, like the weirdo rhythm in 'A Dan&ccedil;a'. This song is nowhere as creepy, but it's dramatic and low-key, and features a pretty cool ending with a piano line in one speaker, and descending strings on the other. And the closing '&Iacute;ndios' has mostly keyboards, and Russo delivering speak-singing lyrics all over the place. Without getting the lyrics, his delivery sounds a tad pointless, but I like the effect they achieved with the music. The ascending keyboard patterns and the crescendo in Russo's voice seem to build tension constantly, and it all ends on that empty, desolate feeling of those major-key synthesized strings. Very sad, without being in-your-face.</p>

<p>Yet, I prefer the songs with stronger, prettier melodies in them. 'Andrea Doria' is simply fabulous, with one of the band's most subtle and refined instrumental works ever, and an amazing vocal work by Russo. Yes, it's a case of not simply the vocals and the instruments completing each other, but each of them being brilliant on their own. It's the kind of song that the band's haters avoid talking about, because you can label it at most as "boring", without giving enough reasons. You see, it's not that I give a damn about what the "haters" and the "fans" have to talk about. I just often find it funny how fans can hardly defend their passion for the band, and how the haters can be so inflamed, arrogant and self-righteous when discussing the band. You know, why spend so much energy <em>hating</em> a band when you can just shun it? Besides, condemning other people simply for liking a band is about as noble and wise as stealing money from beggars on the street - with the difference that, in the second case, at least you're earning something from it. But then again, each person knows what things entertain them, so let's leave it like that.</p>

<p>Back to the band, 'F&aacute;brica' used to be a big favourite of mine, filled with 80's keyboards. Yes, the band used a lot of those synthesizers and effects from their age, and it works nicely. The song has a melody that's prettier than enough - more than one, in fact, but the song doesn't quite hold up so well against their better songs. If we can talk about "radio hits", I can mention 'Eduardo e M&ocirc;nica', which is Russo's first machine-gun story-telling homage/parody/immitation of Bob Dylan (though it's not the first one he's written). It's based on a real story of two friends of him who became lovers and married, serving as yet another example of "opposites attracting each other" - not at all a novel idea, but the song's still fun to listen altogether. Russo handles all instruments (bass guitar, acoustic guitar and tambourine) and gives it a "folky" sound. It's nice. 'Tempo Perdido' is far better, though (linked with a short, gorgeous instrumental piece, 'Central do Brasil'). It's often attacked as a plain, direct rip-off of The Smiths. Yes, it <em>does</em> sound Smiths-y, but it'so s far from plain plagiarism of 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', like some insist to say, that it's just silly. Dado opens it with an instantly memorable guitar line, and takes off into a speedy, echoey song with the electric guitar constantly arpeggioing up and down. I don't doubt at all the band asked the producer to make the song sound similar to the Smiths intentionally, but so what? How many other bands in the 80's wanted to sounds like the Smiths? Or better, how many bands out there have an ABSOLUTELY, 100% original and unique sound? Even the more unique acts like Sigur Rós got their cues from <em>somewhere</em>, so just forget about that pishposh. The band ended up making 'Tempo Perdido' their own classic that way. It's a gorgeous song, with a kind of gentle melancholia that Russo could nail down so well. The lyrical thematics are 100% adolescent, and that's why so many people could relate (and still <em>can</em>) to so well. Look out for those harmonics-led breaks and the acoustic outro, in which you can enjoy more of that opening riff.</p>

<p>I won't deny that there are a couple of weaker links here. 'Acrilic on Canvas' is not bad at all, with a production and arrangement darker than the rest of the album. It's a tad lengthy, and the melodies aren't as interesting as other songs here. 'Plantas em Baixo do Aqu&aacute;rio' is the most 'electronic' song here, with effects applied to drums, random speaking voices, swishes and splashes of synthesizers... and it doesn't have a lot more than that. And 'M&uacute;sica Urbana 2' (a "sequel" of a song written by Russo but recorded by another band) is a stab at white man blues, featuring Russo and his guitar and nothing more. I can say Renato Russo wasn't born to be a bluesman, but his voice STILL manages to kick a fair share of gluteus maximus there. 'Metr&oacute;pole', the only thing that's even close to "Punk" in the record, is rather entertaining in spite of being a pretty awkward attempt at punk. The band used a gruffer, more distorted guitar tone for it, which almost makes it a heavy metal parody. The lyrics are cool, though, and the way Russo, with only fragments of speeches and commonplaces ("A real accident is so exciting / Everybody is satisfied with the success of the disaster / It's going to be on TV!", "I understand your problem but I can't solve it / It's against the rules, it's all here, see it for yourself", "I called the maid to clean up all this blood / And now I'm going or I'll miss the soap-opera"), paints a crude and nightmareish picture of a big city. By far, one of his most intelligent lyrics here.</p>

<p>There's more than enough stuff on this album to make it worth checking out, and what's better is that this is one of their most representative works - at least in this early era. Personally, I don't hold it much higher than the debut - you see, just like there are very strong songs, there are a few almost-duffers, and it doesn't resonate as much in me. But the good songs are good enough to guarantee an equal rating, so you know what to expect.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Less stable, yes, but still remarkable.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Not at all worse. The production loses that "haunting" quality, but compensates it with more emotional diversity.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Getting the hang of it, they were! Smiths derivations aside, they were finding themselves.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>13/15</strong></big> - No doubt about it!<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Yes, it loses it a little here. Side B could be smoother than it is.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/12.png" alt="12" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="este">Que Pa&iacute;s &eacute; Este 1978-1987 (1987)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Eu Sei</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Que Pa&iacute;s &eacute; Este? <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Conex&atilde;o Amaz&ocirc;nica</li>
  <li>T&eacute;dio (Com Um 'T' Bem Grande Pr&aacute; Voc&ecirc;)</li>
  <li>Depois Do Come&ccedil;o</li>
  <li>Qu&iacute;mica <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Eu Sei <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Faroeste Caboclo <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Angra Dos Reis <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Mais Do Mesmo <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p><strong>Dois</strong> wasn't only the band's biggest selling record ever: it was a monster smashing instant success of an album that they weren't ready for, and it actually threatened to put an end to the band. See, it's the old fear of following up a hugely successful album. And without a definite direction to follow, the band settled down and created a compilation of songs from the Punk era of Legi&atilde;o Urbana's embryo band, Aborto El&eacute;trico.</p>

<p>The result is... well, their weakest album. But not really because the songs are <em>bad</em>: This is just not what they were the best at doing, and there are very few songs. Five of them are straight from the Punk era, and the four others are from a more "recent" time. And they all vary in the fun factor and in relevance. See, the band <em>can</em> make a quite convincing sound, and they never let go in that department. But I don't know how many more times I'll ever need to listen to some of these songs, really. Take the second track, 'Conex&atilde;o Amaz&ocirc;nica', for example: it's lengthy, slow and plodding. There isn't much of a melody and repetitive "yeah, yeah, yeah" choruses. Oh, yes, the lyrics about drugs are direct and strong, and the song was banned because of that (come to think of it, I think they forgot to "un-ban" it). But I don't find much musical value in it. 'T&eacute;dio (Com Um "T" Bem Grande Pr&aacute; Voc&ecirc;)' is a more straightforward, fast Punk song, more entertaining, but just dumb. Of course, it was written with the <em>purpose</em> of being dumb, but it just didn't have anything interesting to say at that time - much less now. The other Punk songs, though, I can actually enjoy. The opening track (which gives the album its title) is not bad, not exactly slow but not fast, either, with a memorable guitar riff and even more memorable vocal hooks. The lyrics have an absolute flavour of teenager anger. Not angst, notice: anger against the country and its outrages. As far as social critique goes, I've heard much better, but let's be fair: with Russo's age, I don't think I could have done any better than this. 'Qu&iacute;mica' is my favourite, though: their finest brand of one-taker Punk rock, fast and energetic. It's a cry against the cruel, difficult tests a student must take in order to get into an University. The best thing about it, though, it the way it mixes Punkish anger and subtle (maybe even unintentional) humour. And, yes, the usual vocal hooks.</p>

<p>Yes, there are some anomalies here. 'Depois Do Come&ccedil;o' is Ska, certainly inspired by the trends running around that time. And yes, it <em>is</em> Ska, instead of "Ska-inspired Punk Rock" or something. It's fairly entertaining, with some good guitar work, but the vocal hooks are lacking. Russo just throws lots of seemingly disconnected nonsense lyrics, "machine gun" style. According to the liner notes, there's a message written in code in the lyrics, but it warns that "trying to decode the song may reveal more about the reader than about the song". Reportedly, Russo himself once explained the meaning of the song during a live show, but I never heard what it was. I always interpreted it being that the song actually says nothing whatsoever, and that "trying to decode the song" will show the listener has way too much free time and way too little important things to do. Works for me. 'Eu Sei', on the other hand, is a lovely half-ballad of sorts. Beautiful vocal melody, nice and tender delivery. But the biggest anomaly is obvious and easy to spot: 'Faroeste Caboclo' is the very first of Russo's attempts at "storytelling" music, earlier and much longer than 'Eduardo e M&ocirc;nica', recorded before it. It's nine minutes long, featuring a real lengthy story about drug dealers, messed-up love affairs and duels, sung <em>entirely</em> machine-gun style. Russo himself said he tried to make his own 'Hurricane' and, well, this is <em>far</em> from being even one-eight as good as Dylan. But it works sufficiently, especially since all his blabbering is countered by clever, changes in rhythm by the band. The vocal melodies never change, but the bandwork never at all gets tedious. I don't imagine how it is to listen to this song without having any idea of what is being said, so I'm a bit biased. I enjoy the song quite a bit.</p>

<p>The remaining two songs at the end are more recent tracks, which don't have a whole lot to do with their Punk past. 'Angra Dos Reis' is a ballad, in fact, counting heavily on keyboard chords and little synthesized melodies. The lyrics seem to be some sort of contrived, slightly improbably allegory on the nuclear power plants built in the location from which the song takes its name. But you can disregard that, and consider the song as a nice, well-written ballad. Finally, 'Mais Do Mesmo' is their brand of "heavy" rock, which is not at all bad. Yep, it's real catchy. But you see, I just can't say any of these songs are as good as any of the best tracks in their previous two albums. There are good songs here, but none of them are really "great" to my standards, and thus the album as a whole (which was already short and lacking) just doesn't gain too many points. It's an album I can perfectly listen to all the way through, any time of the day, but I don't have many reasons to do it. Of the really good tracks, only 'Faroeste Caboclo' is unique enough to make it suficiently treasurable; the rest is quite replaceable. So yes, this one gets a weak rating. But then again, I can't complain about it too much: when you think the band could have fallen apart right here, there's hardly any insult - for the fans, that is.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Enjoyable, yes. There's nothing here that I actively dislike.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Hmm, I guess they were too old to make these Punk songs truly resonate. And the non-Punk ones are... just there.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>9/15</strong></big>  - At best, it's derivative all the way through. Punk, ska, Dylan-immitations... you got it all.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>11/15</strong></big> - I can't deny the good songwriting, when it's there.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>9/15</strong></big>  - No, just no. I can't think of anything <em>good</em> to say in this aspect.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/10.png" alt="10" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Suggestions? Essays? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="estacoes">As Quatro Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es (1989)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Pais e Filhos</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>H&aacute; Tempos <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Pais e Filhos ++</span></li>
  <li>Feedback Song For A Dying Friend</li>
  <li>Quando O Sol Bater Na Janela Do Teu Quarto <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Eu Era Um Lobisomem Juvenil ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">1965 (Duas Tribos) ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Monte Castelo ++</span></li>
  <li>Maur&iacute;cio <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Meninos e Meninas</li>
  <li>Sete Cidades <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Se Fiquei Esperando Meu Amor Passar ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Rocha left the band, apparently due to lack of interest. And around this time, the band was kind of making its transition into a more polished, refined "art-pop" band, or something. On surface, there isn't a whole lot of difference between this and <strong>Dois</strong> - the compositional style is basically the same. The production, performances and overall mood are just a bit more reflexive and calm. There are bits of religious and philosophical introspection, introduced into the lyrics due to Russo's casual contact with the teachings of Buddha, but it's also noticeable through the music. With only three members in the band, Russo and Villa-Lobos exchange bass guitar duties, while the guitars are still largely featured. The keyboards remain, mostly on the background, though they steal the spotlight in some songs.</p>

<p>As for the songs, they are really responsible for the album's status of being one of the band's best ever, even better than their best selling <strong>Dois</strong>. And yes, I agree. It has less misfires (in fact, I can only count one), and the really good tracks are <em>all that</em> good, really. It has some of my favourite songs among the band's catalog, and the not-so-good tracks even manage to mantain the overall quality very high. As for the one misfire I can name, it's 'Feedback Song For A Dying Friend', entirely sung in English, with lyrics that try to deal with AIDS in a poetic manner. Does it work? I don't know. As for the music, it's their "rock-out" moment in the album, but the guitar riffs are way too banal and the vocal melodies are severely lacking. Halfway through, it turns into a heavily synthesized Eastern send-up, which is... well, rather unnecessary. The good thing is that the song doesn't sound the same all the way through its five minutes, and the "Eastern" part is the one I enjoy the most, even though it doesn't work very well.</p>

<p>The other moment of rocking out is '1965', and if you have vague ideas about Brazilian history, you might relate that year with the Military Coup, which happened one year before it. And Russo, with his style of "lyrical painting", throwing vague, barely connected lines, hits the nail right on the head ("It's good against evil / And you, which side are you on?"). The music? Very catchy! Here, the concepts of "verse" and "chorus" are entirely discarded and ignored, and you basically travel through a handful of different little sections, half-melodies, chord progressions and vocal overdubs aplenty. That style is quite representative of the album as a whole, and it's present in the album's "magnum opus", the classic 'Pais e Filhos'. It's undeniably one of their most remembered and revered songs ever, and I partially join the chorus. Not <em>entirely</em> because I'm afraid of the fanatism (just as I am afraid of the "Renato Russo should be banished from history" chants with torches and rakes), but partially because, well, the song is gorgeous. It's vaguely bluesy, quiet, almost whispery. In every verse, Dado comes up with a different guitar idea, and Russo introduces memorable hooks and melodies in every left turn. And the chorus? Anthemic and memorable to the extreme! Lyrically, the song deals with all sorts of child/parent relationship, with lines that aren't <em>at all</em> connected with each other aside from the general theme. And that's the song's strength, because eventually, you might bump into a line that resonates incredibly with you, like "I live with my mother, but my father comes to see me", or "you tell me your parents don't understand you, but you don't understand your parents", or "sleep now, it's only the wind outside". And as soon as the song grabs you, it grabs you until the end. I don't disconsider calling this the band's defining moment.</p>

<p>And the good stuff continues, going through "fast ballads", like the opening 'H&aacute; Tempos' (another anthemic, memorable hit) and the romantic 'Sete Cidades', and darker slow songs, like 'Eu Era Um Lobisomem Juvenil' (with vast keyboard showcases, bookended by pretty mandolin picking) and 'Maur&iacute;cio' (almost entirely done on keyboards), all of them beautiful and well performed. In fact, 'Sete Cidades' dare to tackle the good old "pop structure", with hooks aplenty, and plain, direct love lyrics. As for the ballads, 'Quando O Sol Bater Na Janela Do Teu Quarto' is gentle and pretty, virtually flawless, and 'Monte Castelo' features the most unusual arrangement in the record, like a semi-folk tune with lyrics quoting verses about love from the Bible and old Portuguese poetry. This one is very catchy, too, and its happy tone makes it irresistible. The fast "acoustic pop" of 'Meninos e Meninas' reached the status of "hit" as well, but it's not as hooky as the better hits here, though. I suppose it's popular because it features mainly acoustic guitar, which makes it more "natural" to be performed on the beach, at night, with lots of youngsters sitting around a fire. Eh. I don't praise songs on these grounds, if you understand me. On the other band, the closing track is one of the most beautiful here, alternating those simple but wonderful vocal melodies with simple but wonderful guitar lines and chords. Look out for the way Russo alternates his usual semi-baritone singing with falsettoes in the interval of two notes.</p>

<p>The album's only slight flaw, I'd say, is that it sounds more like a hit package than an <em>album</em>. But that's just me speaking. Most songs here are worth listening, and for a band that's widely considered as "depressing", they are quite uplifting. Yes, the album has its "down" moments, but they are subtle and gentle, which gives the album a nice... um, mysticism. The accessibility combined with the high quality of the songs makes it one of the most perfect introductions to the band you could ever get, <em>and</em> one of their most representative packages, too. Don't be afraid of picking it up if you can - at the very least, it makes a nice diversion from the usual stuff. Not that there aren't people silly enough to say they'd rather listen to Kenny G and John Tesh than this, but there are people who'd say this is better than the Beatles. So, make up your own mind.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Damn good stuff.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - I can hardly give any other rating. Apart from one or other thing, it's very hard-hitting.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>12/15</strong></big> - We've seen a lot of this stuff before, but it's fresh enough to hold interest.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Denied a fifteen because of... um... 'Feedback Song For A Dying Friend' and... um... something.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Cohesive? Not much. Consistent? Very.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/13.png" alt="13" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Anything? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="v">V (1991)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Metal Contra As N&uacute;vens</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Love Song</li>
  <li><span class="good">Metal Contra As Nuvens ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">A Ordem Dos Templ&aacute;rios ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">A Montanha M&aacute;gica ++</span></li>
  <li>O Teatro Dos Vampiros <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Seren&iacute;ssima</li>
  <li><span class="good">Vento No Litoral ++</span></li>
  <li>O Mundo Anda T&atilde;o Complicado <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>L'&acirc;ge D'or <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Come Share My Life</li>
</ol>

<p>And so, the band repeats the formula and puts out a progressive album. Silly, silly thing to say, but that was Russo himself poking fun at the critics. Fact is, this can be considered a repetition of the formula, but not quite. And progressive? Hmm, I'd say one single eleven-minute song doesn't make an album progressive. This album is simply the band pushing things a bit towards the direction of "art rock", but you know, that's also a silly thing to say. Renato Russo himself said the mood of the album was highly inspired by a feeling of boredom and idleness, which explains the song lengths, the instrumentals, and the slower paces. But since I'm a dork, I'm going ahead and giving this album the highest rating. Why? Because I love it!</p>

<p>Say what you will, but this album isn't at all "boring" to me. What you might consider "boring", I consider simply moody. And I genuinely feel that way. See, the band's melodies are still as strong as ever, the songwriting is still as good as it has ever been, and the arrangements... Oh, yes, they changed a little. They are more sparse and icy than before. In <strong>As Quatro Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es</strong>, those sound "holes" were filled up either by strumming guitars or keyboard chords. Here, they are left that way. Contrasting with the "non-holes", the album becomes extremelly evocative and atmospheric. The first side of the record is entirely like that. Side B opens space for some "potential hits" - five of them, to be precise - but the atmosphere remains.</p>

<p>For starters, there are three instrumentals here, two of them under two minutes. 'Love Song' introduces the album with "astral" keyboard sounds, but soon turns into an adaptation of an old Portuguese poem (a "love song") into a folksy tune, and 'Come Share My Life' closes the album with a moody, slightly mysterious traditional tune played on keyboards. The third is 'A Ordem Dos Templ&aacute;rios', a gorgeous composition featuring that moody piano+strings sound playing the main melody. It works as a perfect transition between the two "centrepieces" of the album. 'Metal Contra As Nuvens' is not only my favourite song in the album, but it's also one of my favourite Legi&atilde;o Urbana songs ever, if not my favourite ever. On surface, it's not much more than a combination of a few different Legi&atilde;o Urbana songs, but I say it might be, instead, a combination of <em>very good</em> Legi&atilde;o Urbana songs, that makes a lot of sense. It isn't at all about its length: it's the beautiful melodies, the delicate guitar work, the beautiful chord progression that makes one of the "main themes" of the song, the solid performances, the wonderful string arrangement near the end, and its inexplicable beauty. It's just a great song, after all! And there's nothing in terms of "complexity" in it. In fact, the finest feature is its simplicity. As for the second "centrepiece", 'A Montanha M&aacute;gica', is their most "full-fledged" attempt at blues to this point. But it isn't "dorky white man blues": it is slow, plodding, and gives the <em>perfect</em> feeling of stonedness the lyrics require. It's like the feeling you have <em>after</em> having your brain ran over by a truck (metaphorically speaking, of course). There are those slow, bluesy guitar pickings, the hovering vocals, odd effects (like Russo's singing played backwards over itself), which later on turns into an ugly, metamorphic mass of distorted guitar chords, booming drums, and slides into a coda with shrieking organ chords and the distorted guitar all over again. It's pretty brilliant, I say, for the effect it achieves - <em>and</em> the good songwriting, of course. With these four songs, side A is pretty much flawless, and unargueably my favourite Legi&atilde;o Urbana record side ever recorded.</p>

<p>The second side lacks that "unity", but the songs are damn good. The weaker song here, in my opinion, is the acoustic fast pop 'Seren&iacute;ssima', but it's actually damn fine, entertaining and catchy - only made annoying by some female squeals and yells overdubbed over some sections. It's way better than 'Meninos e Meninas', that's for sure. As for the others, you have two wonderful ballads: 'O Teatro dos Vampiros' is haunting and plainly beautiful. In fact, the song would be dramatically enhanced by an "acoustic" performance the band put out on an MTV special (released on CD in its entirety, years later), but this is already damn fine; and I like it how the intro quotes Pachelbel's already old and beaten Canon but CREDITS it on the liner notes - sort of snobby, in a lighthearted way. And 'Vento No Litoral' is just one of the best things they ever did, really. For a simple romantic song, in terms of music, it easily defies songs like 'Pais e Filhos', and maybe even outshines it. Gorgeous, gorgeous melodies, and a specially beautiful vocal performance. Immediately following it up, there's the delightfully lightweight and fun song 'O Mundo Anda T&atilde;o Complicado', that's pretty much a breather of fresh air into the moodiness of the album. It's nice that the production and arrangement pretty much don't change at all, but a simple twist in songwriting turns it into a nice moment of joy and peace, with a charming vocal performance and nifty little instrumental melodies. And to wind it all up, 'L'&acirc;ge D'or' "rocks out" with unusual guitar tones (a bit more poisonous, we can say). It lacks a bit on the hooks department, but the performance is entertaining enough to keep me interested.</p>

<p>Among these tracks, I can only cound 'Vento No Litoral' as a megahit, and 'O Teatro Dos Vampiros' and 'O Mundo Anda T&atilde;o Complicado' might be minor hits, but if that shows anything, is that the band was less interested in making radio hits, and were more bothered with making a complete, cohesive record. And they succeeded. This became my favourite record of theirs, as I noticed that there isn't anything lacking here, and there aren't any loose bits whatsoever. It's as perfect as it can be.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>15/15</strong></big> - I love pretty much everything here.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Perfect atmosphere.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Even though the style only changed slightly, it doesn't sound at all like the previous records.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Just impressive. Everything is in place.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Nothing lacking in this department.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/15.png" alt="15" />
</p>

<p>Comments? More "who the hell are these guys?" remarks? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Send 'em in</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="brasil" class="best">O Descobrimento Do Brasil (1993)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Vinte e Nove</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Vinte e Nove ++</span></li>
  <li>A Fonte <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Do Esp&iacute;rito</li>
  <li>Perfei&ccedil;&atilde;o <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>O Passeio Da Boa Vista <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">O Descobrimento Do Brasil ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Os Barcos ++</span></li>
  <li>Vamos Fazer Um Filme <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Os Anjos <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Um Dia Perfeito</li>
  <li>Giz <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Love In The Afternoon <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>La Nuova Giuvent&ugrave;</li>
  <li><span class="good">S&oacute; Por Hoje ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>This used to be my favourite of their records. Why? I don't know. I suppose I
liked its overall lighter mood, brighter production and variety. But I don't
know for sure. What truly matters is that the long songs are gone. At least for
now. They are, once again, focusing in short, compact compositions like they
always did. The interesting thing is that this album packed much less "classic"
hits than <strong>Dois</strong> and <strong>As Quatro
Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es</strong>. Why? Because they don't seem intent on writing
radio hits. Among the songs here, it's difficult to find one that is structured
to be "catchy". I mean, there <em>are</em> catchy songs here, but they weren't
made with that intention. Returning to the shorter song format doesn't mean they
were making a radio oriented album, you know. And just listening to it is enough
to realise that they were really working overtime on arrangements and
production. Countering the "simplicity" of their first albums and the emptiness
of <strong>V</strong>, these songs are filled with several guitar layers,
keyboards aplenty, a bit of electronic percussion, and other kinds of stringed
instruments: dobro, mandolin, and even a <em>sitar</em>. Not that you should
give a lot of attention to that: Russo just plays it in two tracks, and he's
mostly picking notes without playing any sort of melody, or riff.</p>

<p>But that's irrelevant. The album clearly has much richer textures than
anything they did so far, and it helps the album both in the "rougher" spots,
and on the gentler ones. And the songs? Well, I'd say that without being too
obssessed with scoring acoustic guitar hits, they managed to put out some really
entertaining tunes here. There are fourteen of them here, and no weak links. It
loses steam in very few places; most of the time, it keeps a high level of
quality and energy going. It's one of their smoothest albums. It flows very
well, and the variety of moods and atmospheres keeps it entertaining all the way
through. It's true that the "lighter" spots tend to be my favourites, but I like
all of it.</p>

<p>As an example, take the opening track, 'Vinte e Nove'. It's easily my
favourite here, setting up a gorgeous, delicately rich texture of guitars, led
by a simple but lovely little riff. There's something special about the way the
delicate guitar lines are weaved around the simple, but sweet sung verses. The
sung portion is pretty short, which means there's more emphasis given to the
playing and the arrangement. And that's good! I don't think I can ever stop
enjoying that little riff. And just before the song ends, it goes into third
gear and jumps into a turbo, bringing the song to a mighty conclusion. I like
the way it seems to turn on the ignition for the rest of the album, and that's
just what happens.</p>

<p>'Os Barcos' is another excellent display of Russo's and Villa-Lobos's guitar
sound. As far as pop songs go, this is one of their most perfect, concise and
beautiful ever. Shame they didn't score a hit with it. There's something strong
and confident about the vocal performance, which gives it a positive air in
spite of the "broken relationship" lyrical theme. Another point of interest is
near the end, when the song's easy-going "fast pop" pace is disturbed by loud
distorted guitar chords, and just as it begins to quiet down for a calm
conclusion, it abruptly shifts into a thunderous, definitive conclusion. Of
course, I use "thunderous" as a very relative term here. The overall tone and
mood of the album is so nice and steady, a small disturbance like that sounds
quite thunderous indeed. And that's just what the song needs.</p>

<p>In terms of ballads, the album goes pretty well. The only one that lets me
down, in fact, is 'Um Dia Perfeito'. Even though it's got a really nifty main
guitar line and a wonderful atmosphere, in terms of catchy melodies and hooks,
it's very lacking. 'Giz', on the other hand, is quite splendid, one of their
gentlest songs, featuring a great layering of different vocal lines on top of
each other near the end. 'Vamos Fazer Um Filme', while not exactly a ballad, is
a very pretty pop tune. Maybe a bit too "sweet" for comfort, but it's downright
unusual in their catalog. Who would ever guess that a band supposedly so
"depressing" could pull of something like this. However, the one really "sad"
point of the album is 'Love In The Afternoon', which <em>doesn't</em> have
lyrics in English. It's a percussionless ballad, one of the two tracks in which
Russo uses his sitar. And, in fact, it is given a little "Eastern" flavour to
it, but it's nothing serious. The song is just beautiful, and unlike all of
their songs up to this moment, it seems to deal with a broken relationship due
to someone's <em>death</em>. But yes, it's surprisingly non-depressing, really.
It's more touching than depressing.</p>

<p>But then, it's the only "sad" point of the album. As a whole, it's much more
uplifting than sad. And the best example of that is on side A, and it begins
with the short, cute instrumental 'O Passeio Da Boa Vista', played only with
guitars and a bit of keyboard. And it works mostly as an intro for the title
track, which features one of Bonf&aacute;'s first uses of a drum machine. It
just plays a pounding, sparse rhythm, while the whole band actually keep the
goods coming. On top of the strange, hazy keyboard background, Dado plays yet
<em>another</em> super-nifty riff (played on a mandolin, I believe), and Russo
sings a couple of nice vocal lines. Like 'O Mundo Anda T&atilde;o Complicado',
it deals with extraordinarily simple things of life, and does it in a
wonderful "celebratory" way, as if it were really another "discovery of
Brazil".</p>

<p>But talking about "celebratory", I can't help but be reminded of another song
here, 'Perfei&ccedil;&atilde;o', which belongs to the class of "rougher" songs.
Once again the drum machine is present, but here, it's used to play a hip hop
rhythm, over which Russo lays his brand of pseudo-rapping. Yes, I said
<em>rapping</em>. But hey, I find it better than what Rush did in 'Roll The
Bones'. Russo isn't trying to emulate an actual rapper here, you see. He's just
ranting and muttering about "celebrating" all ugly things he can think of.
Really, when examined on surface, it's an almost childish idea, even. But what I
care the most about is what the band's playing behind him, and how the ugly
guitar riffage and noises and the keyboards start to build into a glorious,
"victorious" finale. That's the badly needed touch which gives the song its
necessary sense of irony, and thus makes it work. But really, I just find it
fun.</p>

<p>But this isn't one of the best spots. Nor one of the worst. 'Do
Esp&iacute;rito' is the moment when the band tries to do something close to
"heavy rock" here, but really doesn't sound convincing. I like Dado's guitar
noises, but other than that, the song is just a curious addition to the album.
The bitter, <em>mad</em> lyrics at least make it worthwhile, though. And 'La
Nuova Giuvent&ugrave;' (no, it's not sung in Italian) is a weird attempt at
going back to their Punk roots. No, it's not very convincing, either. And not
only aren't the lyrics very interesting, it's pretty overlong. One of the
weakest here, in my opinion. Fortunately, things are made better with 'A Fonte',
a song that nearly sounds like it was put together with different bits of music,
alternated with fuzzed-out speaking by Villa-Lobos. I like that "dramatic"
keyboard riff and the vague melody lines Russo throws into the brew, but more
specially, those parts when the song switches into major-key, with backing
vocals behind Russo's lead singing. Very beautiful.</p>

<p>And that's it for the "rough" bits. And also for the "gentle" bits. What's
left to talk about are the few odd tracks that stay just <em>between</em> those
two poles. One example is 'Os Anjos', which combines sad, sligtly bitter lyrical
themes and a jumpy, funny melody. It's fast, short, compact and sweet. Just
fine. But it doesn't compare to the magnificent album closer, 'S&oacute; Por
Hoje', which brings back all that great guitarwork - and the sparse, aimless
sitar. But forget about the sitar! The song's got melody-a-lots! And it's got
those brilliant, sudden, unexpected switches between "quiet but tense" and "loud
but tense". What a great song! Brilliant conclusion to a great album. And yep,
you can think of this album also as the final piece to the band's "essential
trio"... though the exact members of that "trio" may vary for some people. Some
might want to choose <strong>Dois</strong>, <strong>As Quatro
Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es</strong> and this one, instead of my <strong>As Quatro
Esta&ccedil;&otilde;es</strong>, <strong>V</strong> and <strong>O
Descobrimento Do Brasil</strong> line-up. But do I care? They are all good
albums. But to me, it's a good signal that the band was able to put out three
great albums in a row. But it's a bad signal what was about to happen...</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Does it falter? In very few places!<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - The "raw" sound of yore works a wee bit better for me. But only a wee bit.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Pretty much as fresh as ever.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Barely any complaints here.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Weak links or no weak links, it flows perfectly.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/14.png" alt="14" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Ideas? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail them</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="tempestade">A Tempestade (ou O Livro Dos Dias) (1996)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Esperando Por Mim</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Nat&aacute;lia ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">L'avventura ++</span></li>
  <li>M&uacute;sica De Trabalho</li>
  <li>Longe Do Meu Lado</li>
  <li><span class="good">A Via L&aacute;ctea ++</span></li>
  <li>M&uacute;sica Ambiente</li>
  <li><span class="good">Aloha ++</span></li>
  <li>Soul Parsifal</li>
  <li>Dezesseis</li>
  <li>Mil Peda&ccedil;os <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Leila <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>1� de Julho</li>
  <li><span class="good">Esperando Por Mim ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Quando Voc&ecirc; Voltar ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">O Livro Dos Dias ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>To welcome the CD age, the band gathered their energies and put out a 66 minute album. And to think this was supposed to be a <em>double</em> album! But then again, apparently most of their albums were intended to be double albums, initially, so I'm not surprised. What <em>should</em> surprise me is that they managed to put up fifteen great songs together for a relatively long and solid album. Unfortunately, that's not quite what happened.</p>

<p>See, this album just doesn't gel together very well. There are a couple of songs here that, in my opinion, didn't really need to be there, and others that, even though they don't bother me much, don't <em>fit in</em> too much. It's more like a collection of different songs, loosely put together for the sake of making an album. And I don't doubt that's what happened. See, this album marked the beginning of Russo's breakdown. During this time, he rarely appeared in public, couldn't bother posing for pictures, didn't give many interviews, and so on. As the situation got worse, he locked himself up in his apartment, left only to his depression and illness, which culminated in his death some time after the record's release. His state during the album's making certainly contributed to the unusually mellow, hopeless - <em>depressed</em>, if you will - mood of most of the music here. Listening to this, it becomes easy to imagine why this band has fame of being "depressing". Unusually enough, this album isn't the reason for that. But let's leave that aside, alright?</p>

<p>As far as the songs go, I can only rave about the way the album begins and ends. Those five songs guarantee at least that a little less than 1/5 of the album is plainly great. 'Nat&aacute;lia' opens the album with a fast rhythm, bashing drums and ugly, distorted guitar chords. Notably, it <em>doesn't</em> set the tone for the rest of the album, and if there's one truly unsettling thing about it, is the way Russo's voice sound in parts: tired, weak, almost like it hurt to sing. His lyrics are strange, vague, like ramblings of a man who really didn't want to leave his house anymore. And I really like the way the angry, fast music clashes against his draggy singing. It's quite catchy in places, too. 'L'Avventura' comes in for the contrast, introducing the keyboards of Carlos Trilha - musician who helped Russo in his solo albums. It's not slow, but it has that moody, hazy atmosphere and gorgeous melody lines over it. You know, there are very little traditional "hooks" in the melody, but I think Russo just has that trick to capture my attention. I don't know, the song's just gorgeous.</p>

<p>As for the three remaining tracks, they are all excellent. The "less excelent" of them, I'd say, is 'Quando Voc&ecirc; Voltar', a sad romantic ballad (there are quite a few of these here) with acoustic guitar, piano and wonderful singing. Yes, even though it's wonderful, it looks small close to the other two. 'Esperando Por Mim' is, without effort, one of my favourite Legi&atilde;o Urbana songs <em>ever</em>. Given that this is their gloomiest album, it's unusual to hear one of the most cheerful, uplifting songs they ever did. And, yes, it's a bit unsettling, too. But what can I say? It's a gorgeous song! That final "chorus" part and the lengthy finale give me all sorts of chills. I can say this is one of the most moving songs I ever heard. The closing song, 'O Livro Dos Dias', isn't as good but only by a wee bit. It's gorgeous right from the start, with Bonf&aacute;'s sparse drum pattern, the keyboards and Dado's fabulously simple guitar work. It <em>would</em> be a simple, beautiful little ballad if it didn't suddenly grow up near the end into a gloriously hopeful, but strange album ending. And to think this was the last thing Russo would put out during his lifetime!</p>

<p>In between those fabulous tracks, there's... well, plenty of stuff. To be honest, I would be hardpressed to name five tracks to <em>remove</em> from the album to make it shorter and more compact. There's little or no song that I actively dislike here. There are a few that I don't care much about. For example, '1&ord; De Julho' is an acoustic song Russo wrote for a female singer, but decided to put here too. It's not a bad song at all, and he sings it like no one else can, but it just doesn't feel very comfortable in this place. And... errrm, that's it, really. Some other songs I don't like that much, really, but I don't mind them here. They just leave the album unnecessarily longer, but I wouldn't feel well if I tried to take them out of here. 'M&uacute;sica de Trabalho' is an unusually arranged song, with strange, funky patterns, guitar chords and noises, and Russo's moaning vocals clashing against the noisy background. It's not very catchy. Come to think of it, maybe it isn't very good, either. 'M&uacute;sica Ambiente' is better, though, though it barely has anything to do with ambient music. It doesn't have much more than other keyboard ballads of theirs, aside from a few odd chord changes and longer instrumental passages. It's a bit intriguing, I say. And 'Dezesseis', even though it was a hit, isn't too much to my liking. It's Russo's final strike as a "storyteller", this time putting the tale of teenager, rock 'n' roll kinda guy, who put an end to his life on a car "accident" due to a heartbreak. Eh, I can think of wittier stories to tell, and the "rock 'n' roll" music on the back isn't at all that interesting.</p>

<p>But yes, we have better stuff here, too. 'Mil Peda&ccedil;os' is another "acoustic romantic ballad", not as good as 'Quando Voc&ecirc; Voltar', but beautiful nonetheless; and 'Longe Do Meu Lado' is the <em>anti-romantic</em> ballad, the slowest song here, backed only by Trilha's keyboards and a soft drum machine. It lacks that special melody trick, but Russo does a good enough singing job. The best ballad here, though, is by far 'A Via Lactea'. The lyrics are chilly, as if Russo was predicting his own death, and showing to be quite conformed with it. But the <em>music</em>, well... it's beautiful! It makes me lower my defences every time, and to be honest, I even wish that instrumental coda would be longer, like in the other songs. I could listen to more of that.</p>

<p>There are the more uplifting songs here, too, that do sound strange. But they do a good job in making the album not <em>totally</em> sad, so it's just intriguing. 'Leila', in particular, is one-of-a-kind. The music, for one, stops being "dramatic", "gorgeous", "intense" and sounds just plainly sweet, even counting with those dynamic shifts. And lyrically, Russo makes fun of his own sexual option for a brief moment, while exhalting the strength of a woman, who's apparently a single mother. I don't know whether this was a real person, or if this is just Russo making up characters again. What I know is that I far prefer 'Leila' to the suicidal Johnny from 'Dezesseis'. And 'Soul Parsifal' is oddly upbeat and poppy, unlike <em>anything</em> they ever did. It's one of the very few (in fact, I think it's the only one) collaborations of Russo with an "external" musician (Marisa Monte) to go on a Legi&atilde;o Urbana record. And it's a really nice one! I like the whacked-out soul rhythm and the odd chord changes. 'Aloha', though, is the most interesting, unusual and exciting songs here. I read that it was originally intended to be a seven minute introduction to the album, with just about two sung lines at the very end. Hey, I would have liked that! And if it's true, it explains perfectly why it's constantly switching between several different rhythms and instrumental passages. Russo's lyrics don't sound tacked-on at all - it's a great song!</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it's even a bit hard for <em>me</em> to tell exactly what sounds like unnecessary padding and what's just mild, pleasant quasi-filler that can stick around with no problems. What's certain for me, though, is that there's about forty minutes of material worth <em>owning</em>, here. I could even dare try to make a shorter "album" out of the stuff here, but hey... Like I said, I don't dislike any of the songs here, so they can all stay around, if they wish. They don't really harm the album's rating. What <em>does</em> harm the album's rating is that it is so padded out, unnecessarily long and dense. But counting the great songs here, it makes a worthwhile album. And those three final songs make a <em>more</em> than fantastic farewell letter from Russo. I can't tell whether he already knew his fate while they were making the album, but it doesn't matter much. It's great either way.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>12/15</strong></big> - I wouldn't use the word "fun" exactly here, but you do understand me.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - It <em>could</em> have been a grander emotional experience, I reckon.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Fresh? Yes. A bit aimless in places.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>11/15</strong></big> - A couple of songs here are lacking in the melody department, that's for sure.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/15</strong></big> - I told you - it's <em>too</em> padded out.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/11.png" alt="11" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Random stuff? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="estacao">Uma Outra Esta&ccedil;&atilde;o (1997)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>La Maison Dieu</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Riding Song <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Uma Outra Esta&ccedil;&atilde;o ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">As Flores Do Mal ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">La Maison Dieu ++</span></li>
  <li>Clarisse <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Schubert L&auml;ndler</li>
  <li>A Tempestade <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)</li>
  <li>Com&eacute;dia Rom&acirc;ntica <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Dado Viciado</li>
  <li>Marcianos Invadem A Terra <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Antes Das Seis <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Marianne</li>
  <li>Sagrado Cora&ccedil;&atilde;o <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Travessa Do Eix&atilde;o</li>
</ol>

<p>The reason for why this album exists is that the band - Russo, in particular - had the habit of recording songs in excess. And that's easy to see when you consider that both <strong>Dois</strong> and <strong>A Tempestade</strong> were originally intended to be double albums. And the main reason why they weren't? People wouldn't have that much money to spend! What, do you think this is England? The United States? This is Brazil, the land in which the Internet is slow, petrol is expensive, and crime compensates.</p>

<p>Fortunately, several "remaining" songs were gathered for this release. You could think of it as a cash-in release, but it was actually put together as a coherent <em>album</em>, not just a compilation of old stuff. What's noteworthy is the bombast this album was released with: the album was officially released in record stores around the country simultaneously at <em>midnight</em>. What? Do you think this band wasn't worshipped here at all? That's just for you to have a faint idea. And, well, I don't have a clue on what was the general reaction the fans had towards this album. Compared to all previous releases, it's the most <em>difficult</em> album to get into. And why? Partially because it's got three of the nastiest songs they ever did. Not nasty as in "bad", but nasty as in when the Sparky twins made Tiny believe he was called "Nasty", when he lost his memory due to an accident, and that he got really mad and angry when people called him "Tiny". Heh heh, what a brilliant idea. 'Clarisse' is, by far, the song to put an end to all their wannabe "depressing" songs. The only thing is that you probably won't get it at all without understanding the lyrics. In fact, I'm not even sure if I actually love it, if I just find it good, or if I just shouldn't have any feelings for it. But here's the deal: the whole song is Russo putting down his most straightforward "depressed" lyrics ever. And judging by the looks of it, those lyrics were really coming from <em>him</em>, personally. At times, he switches from talking about himself and the one called Clarisse, the kind of girl who cuts herself in the bathroom, locks herself up in her room and has all sorts of problems, and in the end is revealed to be "only fourteen years old". All of that is sung over a plain backing of 12-string guitar and Trilha's keyboards, and they are just playing the same seven bars over and over. It seems to actually be one recording looped on and on, while Russo sings. And it goes on for <em>ten minutes</em>! And after the lyrics end, you'll be put through about three of four minutes of the same music looping on and on. "So", you say, "what do <em>you</em> think of that?" Well... to be honest, I don't know if I'll ever be in the mood to <em>relate</em> to these lyrics. Musically, it's pretty void (maybe intentionally so), so I can only cling onto the lyrics. And they don't... well, they don't <em>touch</em> me. I don't know if they ever will, so we'll just have to wait and see. I can't actually make up my mind if this is Russo actually speaking his mind, or if it's just another put on. Who will ever guess? Maybe that enigma alone justifies the song's existance. Because really, I felt much sadder and more emotionally ruined when Fernando Toro's goldfish died.</p>

<p>It's a bit creepy to think that the writers almost <em>enjoy</em> hurting his feelings. But that's why 'La Maison Dieu' abandons the "depressed" mood and takes us into an angrier, more venomous mood. It's also lengthy, with long lyrics apparently taking us back to the military coup. And the music? It's blues! That kind of slow, heavy metal blues with organs, strange sounds of stringed instruments, distorted guitar chords and a long, heavy instrumental coda with brilliant guitar additions courtesy of musician Tom Capone. I dig that music! And for one, the band doesn't seem so <em>serious</em> about it. There's nothing funny or silly about the song at all, but it sounds like it could <em>turn</em> into a goofball at any moment with little or no effort at all. That feeling gives the song more strength, in my opinion. But then again, I don't know if that "feeling" is purely subjective. Is it? I dunno. That feeling seems absent from 'A Tempestade', for example. It's introduced by a nice Sch&uuml;bert piece, and takes you into a stab at heavy metal (or something like it) that, for one, is <em>convincing</em>. The instrumental backing is quite good, and there's another cool, extended instrumental coda. What I'm not so sure about is Russo's deep, "ghostly" singing in the verses, and the yells at the end. Did they need that? Is he trying to be scary, or is he just goofing off? Man, this guy could be annoying sometimes: you never know when to take him seriously! I'd dare to <em>never</em> take him seriously, but sometimes, it's like he actually wants me to. Oh, yes, the song <em>was</em> supposed to be in <strong>A Tempestade</strong>, and Russo was upset that it had to be cut out. What do I think about that? Will I ever know...</p>

<p>There <em>is</em> this annoying thing about the album, that it has several of these silly "vignettes" and stuff. 'High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)' <em>is</em> the Western movie theme, played on Trilha's keyboards. The opener, 'Riding Song', is a mainly instrumental, fast, soaring rock song featuring excerpts of interviews with each of the four members. Yes, four! Renato Rocha was actually brought in to play bass guitar in this track. Pretty cool. The closer, 'Travessa Do Eix&atilde;o', is a silly singalong tune they didn't even write. Funny, with an interesting percussion made out of bottles, but little more than that. The strangest track, though, is 'Sagrado Cora&ccedil;&atilde;o'. Six minutes long, it actually has lyrics, but there was no recording of Russo's vocals for it. So, it remained as a long, mysterious, intriguing and beautiful instrumental. Reportedly, it was supposed to close the album, due to its "credits rolling up" mood. I say it's more than that. It's a tad generic, and not very interesting composition-wise, but it's really pleasant.</p>

<p>But the truth is that it's the shorter, poppier tunes that deliver the most goodies in the record! They are genuinely great songs, and don't feel at all like low-quality rejects. An example is the catchy 'As Flores Do Mal', which is upbeat and almost joyous, weren't for the venomous, spiteful lyrics. Come to think of it, it probably <em>is</em> joyous in spite of the lyrics. It's got quite a bunch of little or not-so-little hooks, you know. The title track, on the other hand, doesn't <em>sound</em> very joyous. The instrumental backing starts with a haze of guitar noise, eerie harmonics and chilly piano runs by Trilha. Russo's vocals are hushed, almost a murmur, but this isn't a sad song at all! It eventually grows brigther ending with a lighter, brighter "chorus". Strange song. And good! Another plus is 'Com&eacute;dia Romantic', a delightfully catchy little tune with nice vocal melody and a funny guitar riff in between verses. Great stuff!</p>

<p>The following stretch of songs lets me down a wee bit. 'Dado Viciado' and 'Marcianos Invadem A Terra' are two solo Russo songs, guitar and vocals only. The former was supposed to be on <strong>Dois</strong>, but they were afraid of spoiling the image of Dado Villa-Lobos, who's <em>not</em> the drug addict depicted in the song. Musically, it's okay, fairly entertaining but not too catchy. The latter is better, catchier, funnier and more jovial. 'Marianne' was originally an acoustic-only song, with lyrics in English, but they decided to give it a full band arrangement, shaping it like a pop hit. It isn't very good, though. Yeah, it's a bit catchy, but way too insubstantial. 'Antes Das Seis' is nice, though. Not a whole lot more substantial, but it's pleasant and nicely written. It works as a fine ballad, and has nifty guitar work.</p>

<p>But you know what's the thing that grabs me the most about this record? Is that it always seems that there's something missing. I get the impression that there was <em>more</em> material available, but they weren't sure of putting it in. I might be wrong, but hey, there <em>are</em> reports of many songs that were left in the shelves. An example is 'O Grande Inverno Da R&uacute;ssia', an instrumental piece originally intended for <strong>Dois</strong>, but that was abandoned for being "too experimental" (???). So, instead of presenting us songs like that, they filled in the blank spots with those interludes and musical jokes. But hey, I don't think the album's bad. It's just pretty unessential for casual listeners, and only truly recommended for fans. The good songs are nothing to <em>kill</em> for - they've got equally great songs in other, better albums. But who eventually gets this one will have a bunch of stuff to chew on for a while. And, hey, he might even like it. I don't mind having this album lying around. But then again, I didn't pay for it.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>12/15</strong></big> - It's got some very good cuts. I enjoy it.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Well, some songs are kind of strange. And the extra production sometimes gets in the way, actually.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Very little here is <em>surprising</em>. Satisfying, though.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Not bad, not bad.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Er, I'm not sure on that. It doesn't have a very smooth flow.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/11.png" alt="11" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Ideas? Flames? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<h2 class="artistHeader">Renato Russo</h2>

<h2 id="concert">The Stonewall Celebration Concert (1994)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>If Tomorrow Never Comes</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Send In The Clowns</li>
  <li>Clothes Of Sand</li>
  <li>Cathedral Song <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Love Is</li>
  <li>Cherish</li>
  <li>Miss Celie's Blues</li>
  <li>The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men</li>
  <li>If I Loved You</li>
  <li>And So It Goes</li>
  <li>I Get Along Without You Very Well</li>
  <li>Somewhere In My Broken Heart</li>
  <li>If You See Him, Say Hello</li>
  <li>If Tomorrow Never Comes <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>The Heart Of The Matter</li>
  <li>Old Friend <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Say It Isn't So</li>
  <li>Let's Face The Music And Dance</li>
  <li>Somewhere</li>
  <li><span class="bad">Paper Of Pins &times;&times;</span>
  <li>When You Wish Upon A Star</li>
  <li>Close The Door Lightly When You Go</li>
</ol>

<p>Those who have already watched <em>The Backyardigans</em> will understand when I say that this album deserves the ultimate Tasha Awards for The Most "Oh, For Goodness' Sakes!" Inducing Album Ever. See the track listing above? Twenty one songs, twenty one covers of songs in the English language. Not that that is a bad thing, but the album's <em>sole</em> purpose of existance is an expression of Russo's homossexuality. Yes, you read that right, and THAT explains as well why he took the freedom to change the title of Bob Dylan's song to 'If You See HIM, Say Hello', as well as other things you might see along the way. Before the rainbow community chases me with their torches and rakes, no, I don't have <em>anything</em> to do with his sexual opinion, but I just don't know what to make of a record that takes sixty bloody minutes to shout "Hey, world! I'm GAY!!" as if it meant something. I know, I know. Back in 1995, in Brazil, that was definitely a very bold move. Nobody was quite prepared for such a monstrous, in-your-face thing, especially from the "teenage prophet" that Russo had been all those years. Remember that he first admitted that, in the words of Neil Peart, "he was different in his sexuality" in 1989, with 'Meninos E Meninas', which states he "likes boys and girls". Bissexuality? Well, this album expressed <em>strictly</em> homossexual views; 'cause he's NOBODY'S HERO! NOT THE GLAMOUR BOY WHO LOVES TO SELL HIS NAME! EVERYBODY'S BUYING, NOBODY'S HERO!!!</p>

<p>Okay, okay, let's be coolheaded. Like I said, I have <em>nothing</em> to do with his sexual choice. Nothing whatsoever. But see, I'm just not SUCH a fan of Russo's voice to wholly dig his singing for almost seventy minutes. The repertoire here is really varied (ranging from Irving Berlin to Madonna to children's songs?!), and the songs themselves are good, but the arrangements... Well, for the uninitiated, this is Russo's first solo album, and begins his collaboration with keyboardist/arranger/producer Carlos Trilha. And the album is entirely made by the two of them, Russo handling the acoustic guitar and the vocals, and Trilha handling everyting else: keyboards, synthesizers, and all other shizzles and doodles. You can describe these arrangements as "minimalist", but I... er... you know, I try as much as possibly not to use the word "boring", but this album asks for it. The album never raises above "somewhat intense", and almost everything here is piano+vocals, or guitar+vocals, or keyboards+vocals, and variations on that theme. And like I said, I'm not such a fan of Russo's singing; especially when his band is not backing him up. Now, Trilha is an <em>extremelly</em> talented and professional musician, and some songs here are almost miracles, in terms of what he manages to do to fill up Russo's expectations. It's just the album's overall aim that misses me almost entirely.</p>

<p>Besides, I definitely could do without certain things here. For one, I'm not sure why he chose the obscure 'Clothes Of Sand' to play, when there are many other more interesting Nick Drake songs in the world. But what really bothers me is Trilha's synthetic guitar. No, I'm not surprised that Russo couldn't play Nick's guitar lines (who can?!), but why didn't they choose the good ole piano, then? That synth guitar is murder, in particular when used to play a Nick Drake song. Also, I'm not particularly bothered by the change in Bob Dylan's lyrics (though "if you get close to him, kiss him once for me" is something I DON'T wanna hear, thank you), but the arrangement itself? It's way faster than Bob's original, and removes all the subtlety and beauty from his rendition. Not to mention Russo's exaggerated screaming, which just doesn't fit at all. It's only logical that Russo would pick a Bob Dylan song, being a huge fan of his, but he should have either picked another song, or given it an adequate treatment. And... Man, if you want to be creeped out, listen to Russo singing 'Paper Of Pins' to HIMSELF. He goes as far as to use two different intonations to separate the two vocal parts ("if you will marry me, me, me / if you will marry me. / <strong>I'LL NOT ACCEPT YOUR PAPER OF PINS / IF THAT'S THE WAY OUR LOVE BEGINS.</strong>"). Not only that's creepy as hell, but screwing up a children's song to satisfy Russo's self-love needs is NOT my cup of tea. That's just sick.</p>

<p>So I'll stop complaining, and talk about the interesting points. Yes, there are tracks here that I definitely like. His rendition of Stephen Sondheim's 'Send In The Clowns' is very good, especially because he's more focused in singing instead of shouting.I don't like Madonna, but his version of 'Cherish' for the acoustic guitar is, at least, interesting - even if it's probably an excuse for him to go "my boy" as many times as he could manage. I also like the way they perform Irving Berlin's 'Say It Isn't So', with just piano and vocals. 'Let's Face The Music And Dance' is more impressive, with Trilha editing Russo's affected vocals into an actual recording of an old 78 RPM record. Quite cool, if you ask me. Then there's, well, yes, 'When You Wish Upon A Star'. Oh, well, 'Cathedral Song' is really a pretty cute song, and though the rendition here is annoyingly soft-rockish, it's nice. It's pleasant, and Russo's singing works. I also like the arrangement for acoustic guitar of 'If Tomorrow Never Comes', with soft keyboard chords over it - and MORE lyrical "replacements" for Russo's fun and profit. Don Henley's 'The Heart Of The Matter' gets an odd arrangement, with Trilha's "symphonic" keyboard arrangements. I also like a lot their treatment of a Broadway musical song, 'Old Friend'; very nice song, very nice performance. Once again, piano and vocals, but as sweet as they can get.</p>

<p>As for the rest, it's the rest. Several songs here just don't do much to me, like Billy Joel's 'And So It Goes', Billie Holliday's 'I Get Along Without You Very Well' and the endless, plodding 'Ballad Of The Sad Young Men'. 'If I Loved You' is better, though. Russo is definitely not Sinatra, but at least he stays in <em>his</em> place to deliver the song. But then again, wouldn't it be just better to hear Sinatra sing the song, then? Well, yes, but you'd be neglecting this album's purpose, after all. And unless you need some militance in favour of the homossexual part of the world... I don't know how effective this record will be, but you can at least give it a try. Me, I think the Pet Shop Boys would be a better choice. Elton John too. Maybe Freddie Mercury. Wait... Freddie Mercury was too much "on his own" for that, wasn't he? Whatever. Pick the Village People, then. They were fun. As for Russo, check out his next album.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/15</strong></big> - It's pleasant at most places, and unpleasant at very few places.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>8/15</strong></big>  - Russo is, well, competent. Most times.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>10/15</strong></big> - The arrangements <em>are</em> interesting and unexpected at times. Most times, though, they're pretty regular.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>11/15</strong></big> - There <em>are</em> plenty of good songs here, that I can't question. A few inadequate arrangments, though.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>8/15</strong></big>  - Concise and consistent. Those are things this album is NOT.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/09.png" alt="9" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Any comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="distante" class="best">Equilibrio Distante (1995)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Lettera</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Gente ++</span></li>
  <li>Strani Amori</li>
  <li>Venti Del Cuore <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Scrivimi</li>
  <li><span class="good">Dolcissima Maria ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Lettera ++</span></li>
  <li>La Solitudine</li>
  <li>Passer&agrave; <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Wave / Come Fa un'Onda <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>La Forza Della Vita</li>
  <li>Due <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Pi&ugrave; o Meno <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">La Vita &egrave; Adesso ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>This is Russo's second album. The first one, <strong>The Stonewall Celebration Concert</strong>, is not reviewed here because I've never had much interest in it, and I didn't give myself the opportunity to listen to it carefully yet. Who knows, maybe someday I review it. Who knows. <em>This</em> album here, though, is a hoot-and-a-half. Those who aren't aware of it, for his first album, Russo joined forces with Carlos Trilha, who helped him with the arrangements, keyboards and production. And they join forces here again. The plan was that Russo wanted to make an album in homage of his Italian heritage, and the most logical way of doing that was performing a bunch of Italian songs. And that's what he does. The repertoire here focuses strongly on more romantic compositions by contemporary artists, and they <em>are</em> performed as purely romantic compositions, without bigger ambitions. There's nothing truly spectacular about the repertoire here, but who said that's the point?</p>

<p>The <em>point</em>, fellows, is that they were very successful in choosing beautiful songs for the album and giving them <em>just</em> the right arrangements they require. We're talking about very catchy, very beautiful songs that sound neither over-the-top (it <em>borders</em> on unnecessary bombast for a few times, but hey, they never try to rival Andrea Bocelli, so you can relax about that), nor cheesy, nor overly sentimental - though "overly sentimental" and "cheesy" are more or less equivalent, aren't they? But you know what I mean. And, man, is the finished product beautiful! Not just beautiful; it's gorgeous! Positively gorgeous! For Russo, who intended to make something of his own <strong>Pet Sounds</strong>, this must have been an excellent achievement; though it's far more modest than <strong>Pet Sounds</strong>, and also more... artificial, because of the heavy reliance on keyboards, synthesizers and samplers. But then again, the arrangements are always there to give a boost to the songs's original charm, and they never try to outshine the actual melodies, so I see no problem in that. Aside from that, Russo is in top form here. He didn't have yet that tired, painful moan of the last Legi&atilde;o Urbana albums. His singing is as smooth and melodious as ever, and since he's not trying to put <em>power</em> in his vocals, he just allows those more subtle tones to show. And it works magnificently! He keeps the album in a very peaceful, tranquil mood, keeping the "climaxes" only for the necessary spots.</p>

<p>The songs... well! I never know really what to say here, neither where to start from. I could start by the weaker songs, which includes two songs by Laura Pausini: 'Strani Amori' and 'La Solitudine'. But I think it has more to do with how they were overplayed around that time, in their original versions. And I think the effect hasn't worn out yet, so I can't be a huge fan of these songs. They're <em>still</em> good, though. In fact, the other two songs by that singer, which are the best ones, in my opinion, weren't overplayed! In fact, I hadn't even heard about them before this album. 'Gente' open the album in a more or less "anthemic" note, but I don't even know if I can consider it "anthemic". It's just nice and smooth, wonderfully performed, with the right dosages of tension and release. 'Lettera' is almost the opposite, stripped down to vocals and acoustic guitar. It's my favourite song on the record - somehow, Russo's guitar playing is transcendental in its painful simplicity. He just happens to hit the perfect notes <em>all the time</em>, and combined with the melody, it's just fantastic. The tone is very low, almost hushed, and the most "climatic" it gets is when Trilha joins in with soothing keyboards at the end. I honestly don't know how they managed to produce this beauty; not that I don't trust in their talent, but the song is just unbelievable.</p>

<p>Everywhere else, you get <em>extra</em> nice, joyful and soothing tunes like 'Il Venti Del Cuore', 'Scrivimi' and 'Due', which can be potentially annoying with their "harmlessness"; but Russo and Trilha avoid practically all traps, and while the songs might pass as "pleasant background music" if you're not paying attention, they might be surprisingly entertaining if you are. Things only get a bit critical when they aim at the "cathartic" power, like in 'La Forza Della Vita', for example. Okay, I don't doubt the song might be beautiful in its essence, but here, it almost doesn't work. But then again, I may just be feeling a bit mean at the moment. I know I never disliked the song, at any point. 'Passer&agrave;' is nicer, if only because it has a more jovial melody, and the arrangement is more gradual. 'Pi&ugrave; O Meno' surprises us with an orchestral arrangement, but fear not: it's a very gentle, calm and quiet little tune; maybe a bit too "harmless" for some people, but to me, it's just a wonderful ditty. I do like it lots.</p>

<p>A few surprising spots are here, too. 'Wave / Come Fa un'Onda' is a "merge" of two Brazilian tunes sung with Italian lyrics over a Bossa Nova rhythm. Does it work? To me, at least, it does! It's fine! The melody of 'Wave' is just played on a synthesized flute, but a fabulous melody is <em>always</em> a fabulous melody. Who do you think Tom Jobim was, anyway? Some kind of hack? Think again! 'Dolcissima Maria' has nothing to do with Brazil, though. It opens with the lyrics sung over a simple acoustic guitar backing, eventually accompanied by light keyboards. But when the lyrics end, it unexplainable takes off into a lengthy instrumental arrangement, with varied guitar and keyboard solos. Also, Trilha somehow found a <em>lovely</em> melody to play on his keyboard. No mean feat at all! Really nice thing, this song is. The final track, though, defies any expectations. The song has these strange, tension building chord changes and faintly unsettling melody, and the arrangement it's given here boosts that quite a bit. It <em>seems</em> to be just a nice, soothing ballad, but somehow I <em>feel</em> something strange here - especially when it changes into those choruses. Somehow, it's like it was constantly on the verge of exploding - and all that tension is finally relieved when the song goes up a full tone, mounting even more tension, and finally shows up a lengthy, gorgeous finale with a guitar solo that's both mysterious and uplifting. And so it ends the album, gradually, with growing sounds of rain and thunder, fading quietly into a recording of Verdi's famous "Nabucco". Maybe it's way too dramatic to end this album? I dunno, but it works for me. You know, I can't do anything about it: I've liked this album right from the beginning, and I still like it every bit as much. So, it gets a high rating. I'll refrain from giving it the maximum rating, not really because I don't like the album all that much, but merely as a restriction. It's a fabulous recording, which has nothing to do with Russo's work in the band, but is one of his finest achievements.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Fabulous! It's extremelly likeable.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - I don't even mind the sound and the production. These performances are superb.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>14/15</strong></big> - What could I say? There's nothing <em>new</em> here, but these guys make the songs their <em>own</em>.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Brilliant songs. They are romantic ditties treated the <em>right way</em>, but not much more.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Nah, no complaints here.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/14.png" alt="14" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Any comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="solo">O &Uacute;ltimo Solo (1997)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Il Mondo Degli Altri</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>The Dance</li>
  <li><span class="good">Il Mondo Degli Altri ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Te Chiedo Onest&agrave; ++</span></li>
  <li>Lettera</li>
  <li>I Loves You, Porgy</li>
  <li>E Tu, Come Stai?</li>
  <li>Change Partners <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Since Russo's band had the right to make a posthumous release, so did Russo himself. And there comes "<strong>The Last Solo</strong>", which turned out NOT to be the last solo: an album called <strong>Presente</strong> was released recently, bringing in a few "bottom of the chest" treasures and a few "not so bottom of the chest" collaborations with other artists, which were previously available only in compilations. But anyway, this could be a rather nice swan song, but you definitely can't take it as an album. As an EP, yes, that would be fine, but as an album? 28 minutes in one CD? No way! Especially since they charge full price for a CD like that in here, and knowing that the price is already exorbitant, I'll take my freedom to quote <em>The Backyardigans</em> once again and say that, to the execs, "That certainly is convenient". Tyrone is the best, man. Oh, yes, well, they filled up the rest of the CD with a "multimedia track", which features entertaining bits of an interview, as well as a video for 'Strani Amori'. But that's not what I want. My brother-in-law, on the other hand, didn't bother and paid for it. Good for him. And ME, too, otherwise I'd probably not be reviewing this.</p>

<p>Anyway, the album is short mainly due to lack of material. And the material is just here because of Russo's habit of recording more songs than an album could hold. So, these eight songs fill up no more than 28 minutes and a half of music, but that's actually not a bad thing. <strong>The Stonewall Celebration Concert</strong> was a bloated, stuffed album, and <strong>O &Uacute;ltimo Solo</strong>, if anything, is <em>the opposite</em> of that. Its short length helps make it a compact, more entertaining package. And it also works that there's no hardcore gay militance here, and that there are songs in English (from that album's sessions) mixed with songs in Italian (from the <strong>Equilibrio Distante</strong> sessions) - four on each side. How about symmetry? Yep. And then, given the small amount of songs, Trilha wasted no efforts in giving the song <em>much</em> richer, grander arrangements than before - especially for the songs in English. It's quite a boost, compared to the actual album. Not that it always <em>helps</em>, though: 'The Dance' features a complete 40-piece orchestra, but it sounds like no more than a syrupy power ballad. Never liked it, really.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Leonard Cohen's 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye' has a really warm, inviting arrangement, and Russo's singing works wonders in it. You know, it's mainly him on the guitar, and the additions are very subtle, but they're clever. That's one nice track. On the flipside (there isn't any, but we can always imagine one), they revisit the classics: 'I Loves You, Porgy', from Gershwin's "Porgy And Bess", and another Irving Berlin song, 'Change Partners'.The latter has another fun trick, in which Trilha's honky-tonk piano and Russo's vocals are given a genuine old 78 record sound, and during the middle section, it emerges out of the gramophone into its full form, while fading back in for the finale. Very, very clever. I still find 'Let's Face The Music And Dance' more impressive, but 'Change Partners' is just fun.</p>

<p>As for the Italian songs, 'Lettera' is a dissapointment. The magical, transcendental guitar arrangement simply vanished, and instead it has a quasi-jazzy arrangement. It's not bad, but the song sounds just generic, and absolutely <em>nothing</em> compared to the <strong>Equilibrio Distante</strong> version. I wonder if Trilha actually felt the 1994 version was too understated, and wanted to give it a boost... Wasn't necessary, in my opinion. Luckily, the others are good. 'E Tu, Come Stai?' is no more than a pleasant pop tune, inferior to the <strong>Equilibrio Distante</strong> material, but good nonetheless. The other two are brilliant, though. 'Il Mondo Degli Altri' also uses the orchestra, but this time, it's put to good use. Beautiful song, beautiful delivery. 'Te Chiedo Onest&agrave;' isn't too far behind, though, with an arrangement far more reminescent of the 1994 album, and also very beautiful. The guitar solo has a strange, mysterious sound, and makes a fine addition.</p>

<p>So, yes, it's four good tracks, two not-so-good ones, and two perfectly passable ones. Doesn't exactly make an album worth killing for, but hey, I think it's more enjoyable than the bloated 1994 album; and for the passing fan who happened to have an interest in Russo's solo carreer, I'd recommend this album more than <strong>The Stonewall Celebration Concert</strong>: better a short, small dessert than overkill. Not better than 'Overkill', though, but hey, Men At Work are awesome. But hey, if you think of the 1994 album as a headfirst dive in cold water, this sounds like a much more inviting record. And since it's so short, you can enjoy it or just pass it without being offended. I know I enjoy it, so it can have a nice rating. It can stick around. They just shouldn't have given it that title, though. I mean, who would really BELIEVE they'd never take the opportunity of cashing in on the "Brazilian prophet" again?</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>11/15</strong></big> - It's pretty fun, in places.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Pleasant background music, at most times.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>11/15</strong></big> - A bit more interesting than the "minimalism" of the 1994 album.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>12/15</strong></big> - Nice songs, mainly.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Too short. But then again, that might be a good thing.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/11.png" alt="11" />
</p>

<p>Comments? Any comments? <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail me</a>!</p>

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